Rina Gonoi, a former Ground Self-Defense Forces member, attended a White House ceremony on Monday as one of the recipients of an award honoring women who have taken courageous actions to fight for a better world.
Hosting the annual ceremony with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, First Lady Jill Biden praised the women on stage, saying, "You've spoken out for yourselves and for others in the face of fear and risk, and those who have tried to steal your voices away."
"Together, we will keep chipping away at the quiet that haunts our world, and while there may be those who wish for us to fall silent, we will never fall because the steepness of the struggle will not stop our ascent," she said.